Mesoscopic characterization of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers

The introduction of the highly-sensitive imaging technique Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) has given rise to new knowledges about the mesoscopic topology and ordering of condensed phase domains formed in the two-phase coexistence region of Langmuir monolayers. Besides fatty acids, monoalkanoylglycerols are the most studied amphiphiles at the air-water interface. In this review, the mesoscopic characterization of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers is surveyed to demonstrate the striking effect of the position of the glycerol backbone at which the polar head group is substituted. Systematic mesoscopic studies of amphiphilic monoglycerol monolayers offer an outstanding possibility to highlight the dramatic effect of chemical structure variations at the position of the glycerol backbone and the substituted polar groups on the basis of the mesoscopic characterization. Small changes in the polarity by slight variation in the head group structure can dramatic affect shape and organization of the condensed phase domains. According to the importance of the 1-substituted monoglycerols, the effect of the chemical structure of the substituted polar group is highlighted with 4 selected examples. Further main topics discussed are chiral discrimination, kinetics of non-equilibrium structures, electrostatic interactions and a new geometric concept for explaining the topology of condensed phase domains.